The Touch of the Master's Hand- MUSIC TO MY EARS

Recently my wife and I visited a church in the area of our place in the country.  It was a congregation of older folks mostly.  We saw no children, or young adults.  So you get the picture of how that congregation first impressed me.  They have a beautiful building; no doubt it is fully paid for.  But if the age of the people is any indication of where this church will be in ten years, most will be dead or unable to attend.  This depressed me, for this represents so many churches in this Country that are fading out, and will likely cease to be a church in the near future unless our older believers seize the moment to use our life to help younger generations.  I entered the church's auditorium with heaviness on my heart that this church's funeral is not far ahead.

We were greeted by just about everyone there.  They were joyful, kind, and appreciative of our visit.  My wife and I felt comfortable, although I was expecting the service to be stale and unimaginative, as so many of the old-line congregations are.  It seems that spiritual vitality goes out of the people, the pastor, the service, and this results in decay in attendance and vibrancy.  However God has taught me that my going to church should be driven more with seeking the Lord to be inspired and to serve rather than being entertained.  I knew the Lord was telling me to give this church a chance to show me what God was doing there.

The song leader surprised me with how he mixed contemporary music along with the standard hymns I grew up listening to.  The old folks gave it their best on the new stuff.  But when the old hymns were sung it was a thing to behold.  I closed my eyes and listened to the beauty of the aged voices declaring their love for my King.  I love them because of it.

Later in the program and before the sermon, the pianist played a solo.  There was a huge grand piano blocking my view of the musician.  Therefore all I could do was to listen to the music as it left the instrument and came to my ears.  The song began slow and began to build.  There was a complex harmonization of notes making me think there must be two players on the piano; after all, how could someone produce such harmony with only two hands?  The strength on the keys made me think the person must have the hands of Rachmaninoff, who had famously big hands.  The clarity of the soft notes and the way everything about the song formed toward the end creating a rolling crescendo was simply unreal to me.  All through the song all I could do was shake my head in astonishment with what I was hearing, and the skill of the maestro playing the song was taking me to a deep sense of worship.

When the song was over and the pianist walked to the front to take a seat in the congregation, I was able to see for the first time the person who had just played the magnificent song that I had just heard.  Unlike the large man I was expecting was an elderly woman hunched over a cane, who came to the front and allowed us to thank her with our applause.  At that moment a dam of emotions broke from me, for I was seeing a gifted child of God still bringing Him honor with her talent and gift in these last few years of her life.  I saw a woman who is old by all standards, but not forfeiting her gift or an opportunity to serve her King.  We were all blessed that day, but maybe more so me, for there clings in me a desire to encourage God's people with age to continue to serve our Savior with our talents and gifts.  That day I was seeing an example of this need and opportunity being fulfilled.  Her ministry will now be taken to you, as I use her gift to me coupled with the gift God has given me to bring you encouragement.

It has been several days since that experience and I am still a little emotionally invested in what I saw and heard.  While processing the experience I was reminded of a little song called, "The Touch of the Master's Hand"  by Wayne Watson.

I am attaching a link to a YouTube video of this song and suggest that you watch it, for it has a message that I would like to write on this week.  It will lay a foundation for what I want to say to you.   The song is actually a creative story of redemption and transformation.  It has a great story line of truth that touches on the amazing work of the Holy Spirit through someone who reinvests their life into other people, especially those people who are considered abandoned and outcasts.  Jesus loves the outcast people, and I think He is delighted when those of us in His kingdom use our gifts to reach and help people to see Him as He is.  He is the answer for their need.  Please watch it.